Back to School
The first day back was every bit as brutal as I imagined it would be. The alarm went off far too early (thank you all for your collective "ugh"...I truly felt it). I went outside and it was actually raining! I couldn't figure out why until I realized that Lisa washed her car yesterday. We had a series of meetings today and each one was more boring than the last one. Seriously, you'd think if someone was speaking to a group of teachers they'd realize that we know when somebody...can't...teach.So, in a spirit of relentless optimism, I choose to devote this space to reasons I love my job.
1. The people at Sunnyside High are good, hard-working folk.
2. The administration rocks! That's rare.
3. There are always great kids who make every day fun. Once I decided to stop disciplining them for the wisecracks and laughing at them instead, my attitude seriously improved.
4. Math is cool. Yes it is. Is so.
5. I have lots of cool toys at work to play with. The smart classroom isn't done yet, but the tablet PC is a lot of fun.
6. There's a Pepsi machine, like, 50 paces from my room.
7. It puts food on the table. Not gourmet stuff, but we get to eat out once a year or so.
8. I can wear jeans and sneakers whenever I want.
9. Some days I get to leave by 2:00. And I DID just have a couple of months off.
10. It's a ministry. It truly is. It's such a blessing to be able to model Christ in a high school. Yesterday, after morning services, two people asked me if I ever thought about preaching full time. I get that question sometimes, which tells you how hard up people at College are for a preacher. And the truth is, I honestly have thought about it...but there is so much more joy for me in being able to bring Christ to a public school. When handled the right way, I don't even get in trouble! And I meet around 200 kids every year. No contest.
I often say that it's a good thing I enjoy teaching so much since I'm really no good at anything else. It really is a joy. Last year's Calculus class is going to be a VERY tough act to follow. But next week I'll meet the new crop. After just four...more...days...of meetings. Feel free to "ugh" again tomorrow if you wish. Next week the "ugh's" will be over and the fun will begin.
posted by Thurman8er @ 3:00 PM
2 Comments:
Meetings. The same person who invented meetings surely invented call waiting.
I've never had a more fulfilling experience in ministry than when I was working with the teens. Your teaching ministry has more of an impact than preaching any sermon.
I'm glad you were able to think of ten positive things to start the year. It would be a good exercise for us all.
I'm proud of you for focusing on the positive. We could all benefit from that exercise.
Sunday was beautiful. You did a good job and the church is so good at following whatever we ask of them, aren't they?
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